Sonos (recommended by WIRED) speakers offer an easy way to bring high-fi audio into the home, streaming from major services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal with an app on your smartphone for control.
Sonos uses mesh networking that’s simple for you to use but difficult for engineers to implement – the key to an excellent multi-room listening experience.
Wi-Fi
As any multi-room audio system does, Sonos depends heavily on Wi-Fi for its operation. Wi-Fi’s large bandwidth makes it suitable for streaming high resolution lossless music while being networked allows devices connected to it to communicate directly – something essential when creating stereo pairs or grouping Sonos products together.
Sonos speakers differ from regular Wi-Fi devices in that they use multiple connections at the same time, making them more susceptible to wireless interference than a typical combo router/modem router.
If your home features many brick walls or other barriers that interfere with wireless signal, Sonos may experience issues. You could try changing its wireless channel or moving products away from sources of interference to solve this problem.
Problems often stem from poor Wi-Fi signal strength; you might experience buffering problems when streaming music to Sonos from a device; you may also encounter problems where music simply disappears from the app or sounds choppy.
Sonos Boost can provide your home with additional wireless capacity and range, but only consider installing it if your existing network cannot keep up with the demands of Sonos gear.
Once your Sonos products have been connected to your router, they’ll create their own separate wireless network called SonosNet. By default, SonosNet selects an optimal channel that minimizes interference with other home Wi-Fi networks; you can manually change its channel usage for greater security. Likewise, other networks should never interfere with SonosNet or vice versa.
For most users, this setup works great; however, if you require more than four speakers or plan to stream multiple simultaneous lossless music streams at the same time, wired Ethernet might be more suitable. In such an instance, using Sonos Boost as an external wireless bridge between your router and network or setting up Sonos speakers as wired/sonosnet setup (where all but the product itself are wired directly to the router) might give more stable wireless performance.
Music Library
Sonos allows you to access music from a range of services or local files on devices connected to it – including smartphones, tablets, computers, NAS drives or other audio players connected through wireless networking technology. Plus there’s internet radio stations and podcasts too!
The Music Library features have some restrictions. At any one time, only up to 65,000 tracks may be played before Sonos stops indexing your file collection for streaming to Sonos. Also, music purchased from iTunes which is DRM protected cannot be played through Sonos unless using iTunes Match or upgrading to a DRM-free library version.
With these limitations in mind, the Sonos Music Library is an impressive addition to their ecosystem that can fill in where other players may fall short. It features a user-friendly interface with a sleek scroll wheel for browsing songs; additionally it can display album art or cover art for each track as you explore. Furthermore, multiple Sonos speakers can be controlled at once through this app, plus create playlists across an entire house or just a room!
Sonos is a premium audio brand and, within this context, their Music Library feature makes an excellent addition to any home music setup. Although not quite as capable for high-resolution audio as some alternatives available on the market, Sonos still works well enough as an effective way to organize all your digital media in one convenient location.
Sonos requires some initial learning, but once mastered the Music Library becomes easy to navigate and will work in many situations where other music players would fail.
Sonos’ Music Library capabilities are generally strong, with recent updates to its mobile apps providing some functionality that was removed in previous versions. However, as Sonos is currently focused on new features like multiroom audio playback, voice control, and Amazon Alexa integration it’s unlikely any major modifications will take place to its Music Library in the near future.
Control App
Controlling your music experience is a key feature of any smart speaker, and Sonos makes it simple and intuitive for users of all types to access it from just one app on smartphones, tablets, PCs, or Macs. Their dedication to developing one unified software platform eliminates fragmentation experienced when multiple apps develop independently for different platforms – fulfilling contemporary consumer expectations of seamless integration.
The Sonos app provides access to your entire music library from any connected device and connects directly with streaming services for superb music playback. You can store artists, albums, playlists and radio stations you love as Sonos Favorites on the home screen for quick access. In addition, the Sonos app supports several digital audio file formats and features Trueplay(tm), which optimizes system playback according to space needs; plus many settings to customize its system performance further.
Sonos stands out from other smart speakers by enabling users to control sound via any method they prefer – be it the Sonos app, partner apps and devices, physical controls on Sonos players or voice controls. This flexibility distinguishes Sonos from competitors offering integrated voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
Sonos Voice Control does not operate as a full-featured AI, since its purpose is limited to working with Sonos products rather than acting as a general AI system. You can use voice command to play music from Sonos devices, set reminders, answer questions or control smart home devices; anything beyond its design will result in a short two-tone error sound.
The Sonos app is intuitive and easy to use, and its recent update streamlines content organization for an even simpler experience. Create stereo pairs, surround sound experiences, add speakers to more rooms or enable multiroom music seamlessly using just a few taps! Automatic product detection ensures setup process takes only minutes; once completed you can customize Home page features or explore product tips in your Message Center – everything from stereo pairs and multiroom music through stereo pairs can be found here!
Subwoofers
When assessing Sonos subwoofers, take note of their maximum RMS output power (watts RMS). This number represents how much power the speaker can accept over an extended period without exceeding its limit. Also consider its frequency range and how low it can play – essential considerations for bass guitar players who require powerful sub-bass to support specific playing styles such as electronic bass. Keyboard bassists may require one capable of reproducing notes down to 31 Hz for example.
Dependent upon the configuration and space in which you listen, one Sonos sub may prove more suitable than another. Both models, the Sonos Sub and Sub Mini offer superior performance; with the former offering greater portability. Both also add impressive bass boost to entry-level soundbars like Beam, Ray and One.
Both Sonos subwoofers feature two 6-inch drivers encased within sealed cabinets tuned for their acoustic architecture, facing each other to create a force-cancelling effect to reduce cabinet rattle and distortion. Both subwoofers are powered by two Class-D digital amplifiers with an acoustic slot cut out of their centers to minimize vibrations and unwanted sounds.
When purchasing a Sonos sub, you have the ability to select either front-firing or rear-firing as the preferred mode. Front-firing directs sound upwards and out to the sides – ideal for rooms with higher ceilings; rear-firing directs sound downwards towards the front; this method works better in rooms with lower ceilings.
Setup of the Sonos Sub is straightforward, requiring just your smartphone or tablet and Wi-Fi access to get started. Once connected, its app guides you through pairing with other Sonos speakers in your system – meaning any changes made elsewhere such as volume changes will instantly reflect in its behavior too!
Both the Sonos Sub and Sub Mini have distinct designs that set them apart from other subwoofers on the market, especially the Sub Mini’s more compact footprint and cylindrical shape, which has attracted fingerprints like that seen on PC towers. Both units can easily be controlled via an app on smart devices or voice controls for quick adjustments from anywhere within your listening position; both support Trueplay, which adjusts bass amplitude according to your room.
